Indicator for type-writers.



I No. 755,502. PATBNTEDMAR. 22, 1904.

J. N. D. L-A TOUGHE.

INDICATOR FOR TYPE WRITERS..

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented March 22, 1904.

PATENT Urriee.

J AMES NORMAN DIGUES LA TOUGHE, OF BERHAMPUR, BENGAL, INDIA.

INDICATOR FOR TYPE-WRITERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 755,502, dated March 22, 1904.

7 Application filed November '16, 1903- Serial No. 181.425. (No modeh) T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES NORMAN DIeUEs LA Toner-1n, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Berhampur, Bengal, India, have invented a new anduseful Indicator for Type-l Vritcrs, of which the following is a specification. r

My invention relates to type-writers in which the paper is automatically moved from right to left as each line is filled up; and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide means for knowing when the end of a line is being reached without taking the eyes off the keys in a more sure and useful way than is effected by the usual bell and for ascertaining whether the last word in the line can be got in or properly divided; second, to enable the writer to shift the carriage, so as to command any desired point of the line, as in writing columns of figures, and, further, to write up to any vertical line of the paper, and all this without looking at the paper.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front View of part of the typewriter, shown broken off, with my indicator attached to it. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the carriage of the type-writer and the indicating device in a different position. Fig. 3 is a separate detailed view showing the grooved pulley and movable indicating-ring. Fig. 4c is a view of a modified method of driving the wheel g and ring on.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The indicator may be applied to any known form of type-writer. In the drawings it is shown applied to the well-known Remington machine.

a is the top plate of the machine, to the front edge of which the graduated rule 5 is fixed, over which is located the pointer 0 upon the carriage (Z which runs upon the wheel 0 in front and slides upon a pivoted bar at the back, upon and with which it can be raised and turned up when desired.

The indicatorf is screwed or clamped to the front edge of the plate a in a position in which it is easily seen by the operator. It consists of a grooved wheel g,turning freely upon a fixed pivot it upon the clamp. The grooved wheel is of such diameter that the circumference of the groove round it is somewhat longer than the longest line which can be written by the machine. A coiled spring a, the inner end of which is attached to the fixed pivot it and the outer end to the inside of the cylindrical case j, fixed upon the back of the grooved wheel g, tends constantly to turn the wheel round the pivot it, and a cord in is wound round and attached at one end to the wheel 9 in the groove, while its other end is attached to the carriage of the machine (after passing round one or more small pulleys or guides Z) in such manner that when the carriage is moved to the right by the operator the grooved wheel is turned round clockwise against the tension of the spring 2', and as the carnage moves to the left during the progress of the writing the grooved wheel is pulled round step bystep in the opposite direction by the tension of the spring.

Upon the outer face of the grooved wheel .9 is fitted a concentric movable ring on, which .moreconspicuous by an arrow or other mark at 0. An index-bar p is fixed to the front of the plate of the type-writer to which the pivot h is clamped, its fiducial edge q being where it is readily seen by the operator.

The center of the grooved wheel 9 is provided with a boss 1*, upon which a movable pointer s can be clamped so as to point to any desired division upon the movable ring 122. It is obvious that the grooved wheel g may be turned round clockwise by the tension of the cord when the carriage is moved to the right and moved back by the spring during the operation of writing instead of vice versa, as above described.

After inserting and fixing a sheet of paper the carriage of the type-writer is run to the left until the right-hand edge of the paper is in the position where it will just take the last letter of a line or of Writing up to a vertical line, as in double column, until the paper is in the position to take the last letter required. The movable ring is then turned round until the arrow or other mark upon it is against the fiducial edge (1 of the bar 2. Writing is then carried on in the ordinary way, and the arrow 0 as it comes round will show the operator when the position for the end of the line is approaching, While the number of divisions between the arrow 0 and the index q will show at any time how many more letters can be got in.

When writing columns of figures, the carriage is first moved to the position in which the first of the figures is to be printed and the movable pointer s is set at the edge of the index. The carriage can then be brought back to the same position whenever required without looking at the writing. If several columns are to be written, the numbers of the divisions from which each starts can be carried in the memory or marked on the ring m by movable arbitrary marks, (such as pieces of gummed p p If the grooved Wheel with the cord wound only once round it is found to be inconveniently large for any particular type-writer, the cord may be wound upon a smaller pulley and the motion transferred to the wheel and ring by gearing. Thus if a grooved wheel one and one-half inches diameter is all that can be got in for a nine-inch cord a one and one-half inch pulley may be used carrying a pinion driving a wheel with twice the number of teeth upon the axis of the wheelcarrying the movable ring m. This variation is illustrated in Fig. 4:.

Having now fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is r 1. The combination of a type-Writer, a revoluble indicator mounted thereon, including an adjustable ring and a pointer, means for revolving said indicator by the movement of the type-writer carriage, and means for returning said indicator to its original position, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a type-writer frame, a revoluble indicator-wheel mounted thereon and consisting of a back, a ring-face adapted to be clamped at different positions upon said back, an adjustable pointer, means for revolving said indicator-wheel by the movement of the carriage, and a spring for returning said wheel to its initial position, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a type-writer frame provided with an index-bar, a revoluble indicator-wheel pivotally mounted on said frame, said indicator-wheel including a back, a circular face adjustable upon said back, means for clamping said face in dilferent positions upon said back, a movable pointer, and means for clamping said pointer in different positions in front of the face of said indicator-wheel, means for revolving said indicator by the movement of the type-Writer carriage, and means for restoring said indicator to its original position when the type-Writer carriage is moved to the left, substantially as described.

4:. The combination of a type-Writer casing, a pivot-pin secured to the front of said casing, an indicator-Wheel mounted on said pin, said indicator-wheel including a back,and aface adjustable upon said back, an adjustable pointer, a spring connected to said pivot and to said indicator-wheel, and means for moving saidindicator-wheel against the tension of the spring by the travel of the type-Writer carriage during the operation of writing, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a type-writer frame, a pivot-pin rigidly fixed in the front of said frame, an indicator-wheel revolubly mounted on said pivot-pin, a spring attached to said pivot-pin and to said wheel, said indicatorwheel including grooved back, a face movable on said back, a clamp for fastening said face to said back, a movable pointer, a clamp for said pointer, and a cord passing around said indicator-Wheel in the groove thereof and attached to the type-writer carriage, whereby the movement of the type-writer carriage in writing turns the indicator-wheel against the tension of said spring, substantially as described. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

J. N. D. LA TOUCHE. Witnesses:

J. H. WANTLING, B. P. BANERJEE. 

